Gaming machine establishments, such as casinos, are interested in maximizing a player's playing experience by providing the player with more game variety while simultaneously maximizing the establishment's revenues. In particular, such establishments are interested in devising games that make it desirable for players to wager maximum amounts, which allows the establishment to maximize its profits with fewer gaming machines in play. By encouraging players to wager maximum amounts, establishments lower their operating and maintenance costs, or in the alternative have more machines available for play by more players.
Traditional efforts to encourage players to place maximum wagers have primarily been through greater jackpots on a single game with a single indicator, or the ability to access a progressive jackpot by placing a maximum wager on the game being played. Although these approaches encourage some players to place maximum wagers believing they will obtain greater wins by doing so, they do not enhance a player's belief that by placing the maximum wager he is gaining additional opportunities for a win.
Some game manufacturers have begun to employ secondary games used in conjunction with primary games. However, the ability to enter the secondary game has thus far been limited to those players achieving a given outcome on the primary game, for example three-of-a-kind. Therefore, as with traditional methods to encourage maximum wagers, this type of game appeals to the player desiring to experience a greater win rather than more opportunities for a win, for only upon winning on the primary game is the player eligible to play the secondary game. Once more, this type of game does not contribute to a player's belief that he has additional opportunities to win by placing a maximum wager.
Games providing additional win opportunities with increasing wager amounts are desirable both to players wishing to maximize play and desirable for gaming establishments as a means to maximize play on available machines.
Embodiments of the invention address these and other deficiencies in casino gaming systems.